This costume unfortunately didn’t make it into the final cut of Episode 2. Padmé wears it in a Senate scene while giving a very important speech in favor of peace. It’s a real shame that those few minutes were too long for the theatrical cut.
Even in the scene itself, you don’t see much of the dress, since the lighting is very dark and she’s mostly shown only from the waist up. So I had to get most of my information from the few exhibition photos available online, as well as promotional images.
The costume mainly consists of two layers: an underdress, or in my case a top-and-skirt combo, made of golden moiré fabric, and a coat-like overdress made of dark velvet. Attached to the latter are a pleated cape and arm cuffs. Not visible are the foundational pieces underneath — in my case a corset and a hoop skirt built after historical models. The corset’s main purpose is to help distribute the massive weight of the outfit evenly.
Add to that the elaborate hair ornament and the amulet made of tiny crystals. I made every single piece myself, which meant the costume required many different techniques, from pattern drafting to bead embroidery. For example, I modeled the hoop skirt in 3D using Blender in order to get exactly the shape I wanted. I then unfolded the model using a Pepakura program and printed it out as a sewing pattern.
The most labor-intensive part was embroidering the roughly 7,000 glass beads that give the dress its distinctive character. The golden patterns on the skirt, on the other hand, were painted on with an airbrush, for which I designed my own stencil.
The overdress has two pocket slits, so I’m not necessarily dependent on a helper at conventions. Getting into the dress, however, does require assistance. It’s definitely one of my biggest and most complicated projects. I’m all the more proud to have won the title of “Best in Show” at the cosplay competition at the Science Fiction Meeting at the Technik Museum Speyer in 2025.
